What is Trim Healthy Mama? How can I get started with Trim Healthy Mama? What do I need to get started? Let's dive into this complete Trim Healthy Mama Quick Start to jump-start your journey.
This quick start was written by a certified THM coach, as such I try to honor the plan as best as I am able, while still incorporating some personal helpful hints. Visit my coaching page to learn more.
I have lived the lifestyle of a Trim Healthy Mama since 2017. I was introduced to it over 6 years ago, read the original book, and dabbled inconsistency until I had my first baby. The ideas, the scripture, the lifestyle, the success I saw; everything was evidence that it worked and would be something sustainable. I just teetered on wanting to dive in. What if I failed? What if I didn’t lose weight? What if I failed? What if I failed?
I did fail. I’ve failed a lot.
Do I feel guilty? A little. When I fail, I'm not nourishing my body or honoring my family.
But I have learned so much from embracing a lifestyle rooted in the scripture. Piling on guilt does nothing for me. I've learned there is grace. I've learned that grabbing unhealthy chips does nothing for me. I can grab a stevia-sweetened chocolate bar or take the time to make Cottage Berry Whip. Either would be decadent, and my body and the growing baby would be nourished.
I'm constantly learning and failing. And the biggest piece is letting go of the guilt. This guide is a detailed Trim Healthy Mama simplified quick start.
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Trim Healthy Mama Simplified
I'm going to simplify the Trim Healthy Mama plan down to the bare minimum. Basically, give you a Trim Healthy Mama quick start or do a Trim Healthy Mama Simplified Plan. There is much more than this.
That is why the original plan book is 642 pages (yes, you read that right). However, we tend to complicate things, and I want to boil this down to the bare minimum, so here it goes. Let's start the Trim Healthy Mama quick start!
The Biblical Part of Trim Healthy Mama
Trim Healthy Mama plan is based on the premise that God created all the food groups. Deuteronomy 32 goes into detail about how God cares for his people. He even elaborates on what type of food he gives them. These include grains and greens, glucose, fats and oils, meat and animal fat, butter from cattle, dairy, and fruit (starts in verse 13).
He didn’t eliminate anything from their diet. It was holistic. Complete.
" He made him ride on the high places of the land,
and he ate the produce of the field,
and he suckled him with honey out of the rock,
and oil out of the flinty rock.
Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock,
with fat of lambs,
rams of Bashan and goats,
with the very finest of the wheat—
and you drank foaming wine made from the blood of the grape."
So how do we incorporate all these foods in a way that helps us lose weight or maintain weight? Especially with the complexities of a lady's body! We carry babies, we have menstruation, we have hormones up the kazoo, and all these affect our weight.
What is Trim Healthy Mama?
There's a lot of science that goes into the Trim Healthy Mama Plan, but simply put, we anchor everything with protein and then choose to eat either a Fat Based meal or a Carb based meal. Trim Healthy Mama categorizes this as a Satisfying meal (S-Meal) for fat-based, or an Energizing Meal (E-Meal) for carb-based.
There you go. That's it. That's the Trim Healthy Mama simplified! What really 'clicked' for me was understanding sugar. I'm going to oversimplify again but picture this. Carbs are typically a sugar-based meal. Carbs are glucose or sugar. Our body must burn this fuel first because sugar is toxic to the brain. Our blood cells know it must burn that first.
So, when we eat a meal that is heavy with fats and carbs (THM calls this a crossover, which sometimes is good to have) our body burns the carbs first.
By the time we are ready to eat again, the body hasn't burned off all the fats from the previous meal, so it simply converts it into fat cells and stores them for later. And wala! We gain weight.
Because of this the only real thing that THM eliminates is processed sugar.
Sugar has ridiculous effects on the body and our culture has incorporated it into everything. From condiments to crackers. High fructose sugar is used as a preservative to everything in the processed food aisle.
Instead, THM encourages herbal/plant sweeteners like Stevia, Monk Fruit, Xylitol, or Erythritol. More about the best natural sweeteners here.
What is the Difference Between Keto and THM?
I love this question because it can lead to such freedom! Keto is very different than Trim Healthy Mama.
Trim Healthy Mama does not count calories (can I hear an amen!). It does not count carbs or points either.
THM embraces healthy carbs such as rice, quinoa, fruits, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and much more!
How Much Weight can you Loose on Trim Healthy Mama
Following the Trim Healthy Mama plan has led me to lose a large amount of weight. March 2018 I was 253 pounds. March 10th, 2018, I was 219 pounds. December 23rd, 2018, I was 179 pounds. That is seventy-four pounds from my pregnancy weight and forty pounds from my post-partum weight.
The amount of weight you can lose will depend on a lot of factors. This is simply my testimony.
What do you Eat on Trim Healthy Mama?
All food groups are 'on plan' on Trim Healthy Mama. The only precautions that are not included in this are white flour and sugar.
The Trim Healthy Mama plan does not need to be expensive. Really it does not. However, you will need to invest in REAL food.
- Healthy Carbohydrates
- Healthy Fats
- Hearty Protein
- Fruits
- Veggies
How do I Start Trim Healthy Mama
The easiest way to get started is to buy the books, read it, and start to implement the principles. I recommend getting either the Plan Book or the Starter Book along with one of the recipe books.
- The Original Book - Trim Healthy Mama
- This is the book I started with. If you enjoy a good long read or want to go deep immediately, then this is an informative book. However, if you want everything simplified, then go with the next book.
- Trim Healthy Mama Plan
- This is a much simpler and easy to read approach to the lifestyle.
- Trim Healthy Mama Starter
- I recommend the Plan Book and this one equally. The main difference is that the Starter book comes with 50 of the most popular THM recipes to get you started.
- Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook
- The Trim Healthy Mama plan seems to be best summarized in the intro section of this book. It is so well done; I highly recommend a Trim Healthy Mama quick start.
- Trim Healthy Mama Table
- This book has my favorite Trim Healthy Mama plan recipes! It also has a front section that has a Trim Healthy Mama simplified guide.
You can find more about book recommendations over on my Trim Healthy Mama Plan cookbook guide.
Other Book Resources:
Sometimes you need more than just the above books. Brianna Thomas brings some low-glycemic recipes that are Trim Healthy Mama plan friendly. These are well-loved by the THM community. Here first book Necessary Book and the second Convenient Food are both wonderful additions to help with more recipe ideas for your vault of THM.
You can even snag my Healing Harvest Cookbook off of Amazon!
The Trim Healthy Mama Community
The Trim Healthy Mama community is made up of sisters that are here for support! There is so many great THM sisters out there that want to see you succeed. These communities are one of the best ways to Trim Healthy Mama quick start this lifestyle!
The Podcast
Easily, the thing that helped me stay on track after having my son was listening to the podcast as I walked every day. I binged and listened to every episode I could get my hands on. It was encouraging, funny, insightful, spiritually refreshing, and gave me advice on how to incorporate the Trim Healthy Mama plan into my life.
You might not have maternity leave as I did, but I bet you have some time during your commute, work out, or naptimes!
- The Serene and Pearl Unshow (old episodes available)
Another podcast resource I recently started to enjoy is called Know Your Food and Ask Wardee. She takes a more traditional food/purist approach. A good place to start is with her THM testimony episode.
This specific podcast is more for the foodie that enjoys learning about traditional ways of eating food. Common topics on her podcasts include sourdough, kombucha, fermented foods, and bone broth.
Social Media Groups
If you are starting THM, you should join the Trim Healthy Mama Facebook group.
I joined it almost 7 years ago. Now the Facebook group reaches is over 244,000 members. Questions often get lost in the sheer magnitude of the group. So, follow an official subgroup.
There seems to be a never-ending amount. Find your niche and get into a group with fewer members. Your questions will get much more individualized attention. Finding a social media group is one of the best things you can do for a Trim Healthy Mama quick start.
- Trim Healthy Mama Pregnant & Nursing Group
- Allergen Free Trim Healthy Mama
- Trim Healthy Mama: Sprouted, Fermented, Cultured, & More
- Trim Healthy Mama OVERCOMERS
- Trim Healthy Mama: Diabetic
- Trim Healthy Mama Workins
Where can I buy THM Products
One of the beauties of choosing Trim Healthy Mama is that you truly do not need to buy their products. You can get all the healing and healthy food that you need to succeed at your local grocery store.
However, adding some additional 'health' products can be helpful.
I love my Trim Healthy Mama products. They are pure and completely worth it. But in full disclosure, you can find similar products on Amazon or often at your local grocery store.
When I start coaching a client, I am often asked which products I recommend the most to start with. Here is what I tell them.
Natural Sweetener - Gentle Sweet
If you are trying to do a Trim Healthy Mama quick start, stevia is the one product I would recommend buying from THM.
The processing of Stevia is important to the end result, and for some of the bigger companies, it is hard to find out exactly how they are processing their stevia.
Bleaching and GMO's can be common and it's tough to truly trust a Stevia brand. THM's stevia brand is high documents and extremely trustworthy. You can listen to their THM podcast (The Poddy) on Stevia here.
I grow stevia in my herb garden as often as I can and the leaves are great for teas and drinks. Sweetening cakes and desserts need stevia that has been processed. With any stevia processing, it is minimum. The green part of the leaf is what makes it bitter. If you break open a stevia leaf, you will see white veins. This is the part that is sweet and that is what they separate from the plant.
THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder 1oz $10.99
Note: This is an incredibly sweet and economical way to use stevia. It is the sweetest of all the THM sweeteners.
Alternatives
- Sweet Leaf Powder 4oz $7.35
- Sweet Leaf Drops 4oz $15.49
- Note: this is my personal preference to use for drinks. I just find it easy and simple.
THM Super Sweet Blend 16 oz $9.99
Note: This blend is sweeter than normal sugar, but pairs well in baked goods. It is a blend of pure stevia and erythritol.
Alternative
- Pyure - 16oz $6.98
- Gentle Sweet - 16 oz $10.99
Note: This out of all the blends is most like conventional sugar. It uses a combination of Xylitol, Erythiritol, and Stevia ground to create it's gentle taste.
Baking Blend or a Low Carb Baking Mix
In truth, I have never bought THM Baking Blend. However, I know many coaches and other THMers that will only buy Baking Blend. I prefer to make my own using this recipe.
THM Baking Blend 16oz $8.99
Alternative
{Combine equal parts coconut flour, almond flour, and flax seed}
- Terrasoul Coconut Flour 6 pounds $14.24
- Nature's Eats Almond Flour 2 pounds $11.79
- Bob's Red Ground Flax Seed 32 oz $14.99
Whey Protein and Collagen
Both of these are pure power proteins that are used in a lot THM recipes.
Protein Powder
THM Pristine Whey Protein Powder 16 oz $17.99
Alternative
- Grass Fed Whey Protein Powder Isolate - Unflavored 1 lb $26.97
- GNC Unflavored Protein Powder 1.85 lb $24.99
Collagen
THM Integral Collagen $19.99 16 oz
Alternative
- NeoCell Super Collagen Powder 7 oz $10.64
- OR Anthony's Collagen Peptide Powder 1 lb $18.99
Gelatin
This is one that you can easily pick up from your local grocery store!
Gelatin
Just Gelatin 16oz $15.99
Alternative
Now Foods Beef Gelatin 1lb $13.08
Great Lakes Gelatin 1lb $23.74
Glucomannan
Truthfully this was the product I got most excited about when I started Trim Healthy Mama. I loved making stir fry, broths, and soups using this thickener. It is a truly amazing product and resources from the earth.
Glucomannan
THM Gluccie 16oz $21.99
Alternative
- NOW Glucomannan 8oz $10.69
- Note: This 8oz jar lasts me over a year since 2016 I have order this exact jar 3 times. I use it to thicken sauces on a regular basis.
MCT Oil and Coconut Oil
The last product that I recommend you start with is MCT oil and Coconut oil. Get the coconut oil first if you have to choose.
MCT Oil
MCT Oil (Medium Chain Triglycerides) 32oz $19.99
Alternative
- NOW Sports MCT Oil (Medium Chain Triglycerides) 32 oz $18.44
Note: MCT oil is an enhanced version of coconut oil. It takes the best parts and creates a thermogenic temperature and therefore makes it a metabolic firestorm.
For the longest time, I had a hard time understanding the benefits/differences of MCT oil and coconut oil. That is until I heard it explained like this: Coconut oil is like Steve Rodgers, who is great. But MCT oil is Captain America.
Isn't that just the best explanation?!
Trim Healthy Mama Starter Recipes
When I first got the books, the recipes were too overwhelming.
Years later, I wished I had a Trim Healthy Mama quick start! I put the book aside and couldn't bring myself to sort through it.
Eventually, I got some small post-it notes and marked every single recipe that looked interesting. Then I just made a goal to make a meal every night. It worked! I eventually had a go-to list of my favorite recipes.
But having a few trustworthy recipes to start with would have been nice. These are the recipes my family approves of and will gobble up!
BEST 5 recipes to start with for main meals:
- Lazy Lasagna pg 140 Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook
- Swedish Meatball with Cream Sauce pg 61 Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook
- Cheeseburger Pie pg 149 Trim Healthy Mama Cookbooks
- Tuscan Cream Chicken pg 72 Trim Healthy Mama Table
- World's Laziest Lasagna Skillet pg 69 Trim Healthy Mama Table
BEST 6 other recipes to consider using for snacks
- Trim Healthy Pancakes or Waffles pg 259 Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook
- Your family will gobble these up! Make the family size and use the rest for snacks.
- Lemon Pucker Gummies pg 387 Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook
- Mocha Cacoa Superfood Mounds - Click here for the recipe
- Wonderful White Blender Bread pg 242 Trim Healthy Mama Table
- Buffalo Dip - Cauliflower Twist - Click here for the recipe
- Superfood Chocolate Chews 383 Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook
BEST 4 THM Drinks
- Good Girl Moonshine pg 379 Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook
- The Shrinker pg 400 Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook
- Big Boy Smoothies pg 341 Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook
- Healing Sunshine Elixir - Click here for the recipe
BEST Desserts for THM Beginners
- Soft Double Chocolate Chip Cookies pg 400 Trim Healthy Mama Table
- Peanut Lovers Trimtastic Cake pg 388 Trim Healthy Mama Table
- No Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Chocolate Crust pg 406 Trim Healthy Mama Table
- Cottage Berry Whip pg 374 Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook
- Chocolate Berry Wedding Cheesecake pg 352 Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook
You can also check out my free Healing Home Harvest Cookbook that will have many low carb recipes to try on your journey. Click the picture below to enjoy!
What is THM - S Meal?
All THM meals and snacks are protein-based.
S meals stand for satisfying. These are fat-based meals that are anchored in protein, lower in carbs, and higher in fats. They also include non-starchy vegetables.
What is THM - E Meal?
Similar to a S Meal a E Meal is also anchored in protein.
E meals stand for energizing. These are carb-based meals that are anchored in protein, lower in fats, and higher in carbs. It is recommended that you stay under 45 carbs in these meals. They also need to contain non-starchy veggies again.
What is Fuel Pull Meal?
Fuel pull meals are anchored in protein and then rather neutral in carbs and fats. Basically, it is low in fats and carbs. This will also contain non-starchy veggies or berries.
What is a THM Crossover
These are still on plan and is anchored in protein, but it contains both healthy carbs and healthy fats. These are not as weight loss-friendly, so if you are still in weight loss mode, you will want to limit these types of meals.
The Ultimate Trim Healthy Mama Quick Start
How did I do? This Trim Healthy Mama quick start got a little bit long winded! But I hope that this comprehensive guide will aid you as you start your THM journey or contemplate if this is the right plan for you!
